What an indigenous education expert thinks about proposed changes to the national curriculum

Students would be taught that Australia was invaded by Europeans, and indigenous mathematics would be added to the syllabus, as part of a major proposed shake-up of the national curriculum.

Last week, chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, Belinda Robinson, told Neil Mitchell the proposed changes would include study into how Aboriginal Australians did maths.

“We can go back to how our indigenous cultures calculated,” she said.

Indigenous education academic at the Australian Catholic University, Dr Anthony Dillon, who is also an Indigenous Australian man himself, says even he doesn’t know what Aboriginal mathematics is.

“I really don’t know, myself,” he said.

“It’s very confusing.”

But Dr Dillon welcomed a greater focus on Aboriginal history in other areas, provided it’s not selective.

“So long as it’s a warts and all syllabus, (and) that they don’t just give a sanitised version of Indigenous culture and history,” he said.

“It wasn’t all a bed of roses.”

Press PLAY below to hear was Dr Dillon thinks about the proposed curriculum changes